Trump privately tells EU leaders he is worried about Brexit

Trump pictured alongside former UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
Jonathan Bachman / Getty Images
LONDON — US President Donald Trump has reportedly told European Union leaders that he's worried Brexit will have a negative impact on jobs in America.

In what would amount to a huge U-turn on the subject of Britain's departure from the 28-nation bloc, Trump used a meeting with EU figures to talk about the threat posed to the global economy by Brexit, the Guardian reports.

"On Brexit, [Trump] expressed concern that jobs in the US would be lost because of Brexit," one source told the paper.

Trump has previously been a vocal supporter of Britain leaving the EU. He described Brexit as a "beautiful thing" during his presidential campaign and described himself as "Mr Brexit" upon the Britain's decision to vote to leave the EU in June.

The US President appears to have shifted his position on the issue, amid concern for what Britain leaving the EU could mean for the US economy and jobs market.

In a 45-minute meeting with European Council President Jean-Claude Juncker and Commission President Donald Tusk, Trump expressed concern about Brexit and voiced appreciation for free market economics advocated by the EU, sources in Brussels told the Guardian.

The specifics of what Trump said to Juncker and Dusk are not yet available, but officials in Brussels have noted a marked change in opinion on the EU from the US President, the report adds.

Brexiteers like Nigel Farage celebrated Trump's victory in the US Presidential election as the businessman-turned-politician promised to put Britain at "the front of the queue" when it comes to negotiating a post-Brexit trade deal.

However, Trump has poured cold water on this pledge, according to multiple reports. The US President has re-evaluated his priorities and put the EU in front of Britain in the queue for free trade, the Times reported in April.